Let’s get into my language studies!
Road to polyglot
Where do I start? In some ways I consider myself a polyglot, but I am also very much aware of all the work that still must be done to get better at the languages I already speak. I got reminded of just that when I went on a business trip to Germany last March. My knowledge in the language has gotten broader, but at the same time I did find out what I lack.
Timing was also very sensitive when it comes down to all the languages I am studying this year. The year started with settling in a new house after the biggest move I have ever undertaken. In the past when I moved house, it was never with more than just a couple of suitcases. This time around I moved together with my mom from a very big house on the outskirts to the centre of a completely new village in a much smaller house. On top of that I started a new freelance job at the same time. I am honestly surprised how well I managed.
My focus for the last three months was to just do whatever was possible. For me it was more important to settle in and also do some fun stuff. Like travelling and going to concerts. If that would mean I wouldn’t be able to reach my goals I had set for that quarter, I would be fine with it.
Let’s get into all the languages that have my focus for this year!
German – B2
I already mentioned the business trip I went on to Germany. It was to Leipzig (yes, the same trip I went on last year!) for the Leipziger Buchmesse and Manga Comic Con. During that trip I got to practice German a lot, and that is when I noticed that I am completely plateauing on level B1 for speech. People understand me better, but my accent is very Austrian (cause I lived there in the winter of 2025) and Dutch. Which isn’t that big of a deal, but it does lead to some very confusing situations, haha.
So I want to work on speech even more so in the upcoming months. My vocabulary is for sure getting there as well, but I notice when I speak sometimes it takes time for me to get the words out. I want to find a way for me to let it come out more naturally, like I do when I speak on A2 level.
My reading skills are already at C1 level, nevertheless I even saw progress when I read. The way I grasp a scene or sentence has changed a lot I noticed. It’s faster. I don’t know how else to explain. I have been able to understand different layers in a story for a while, but I think how fast I get the whole picture is now at a native level. So I guess I am at an advanced C1 level. I think it will stay there for while which I am fine with, cause speech really should be my main focus. Especially since I have another trip to Germany coming up and that will be to Bavaria. Let me tell you, they speak very different German over there. So getting to advanced B1 level is very important to me.
Korean – Level 4
I had hoped to complete level 2 by the end of the quarter. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to do so. The lessons are getting more intense which I hadn’t completely anticipated and I also hadn’t the capacity to study a lot. With everything going on in my life I am even surprised I managed to get halfway level 2. For the next quarter I want to level up my game. I know now for the most part how my weeks look like. I think it would be possible for me to complete level 2 and get midway level 3. I really hope so at least, because in July I will do some Korean speaking activities and it would be amazing if I understand a bit more than just the basics.
That being said, I have noticed that with the little shadowing I have been able to do, that my understanding skills have been going well. I understand quite a bit, maybe not the details, but I do understand sentence structures and how it’s being used in specific situations very well.
French – B1
The language I have done the least in is French. Whenever I had a bit more time on my hands I dived deep into expanding my vocabulary. And that was honestly all I was able to do. However, I did do some research on books I could read and I am exploring if I want to join a French language study community. But I really want to see first what my time left over looks like when I am settled in. I felt home quickly after the move, but it takes time to build new habits at a new place. And French doesn’t have my focus in comparison to German and Korean.
But I am planning on travelling to France later this year. So I am going to be practical about it. I want to plan my studies now around everything I might need during that trip and will see from there what is going to be next. I will explore it in a future blog “My study plan for French ’26 #2”.
How is it going with your language studies?
Love,
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